Xavi Hérnandez: The maestro of tika-taka

"Like so many of the players, I started at La Masia at the age of 11. I can't ever imagine not playing for Barcelona, let alone not playing soccer for a career. I don't ever want to play anywhere else."

-- Xavi

The shouting of the crowd rises to a crescendo "XAVI! XAVI!" Xavi Hérnandez is waiting to take the free kick. The ball soars over the wall of players attempting to block it, and curves with a will of its own, and neatly finds its way into the goal, just out of the grasp of the goalkeeper.

He wakes up with a thudding heart, eyes shining in the dark. He knows it was just a dream, but one that would soon come true.

Xavi Hérnandez Creus, known the world over as simply Xavi, was born on January 25, 1980 in Terrassa, a suburb of Barcelona. It is inevitable that this will affect the way he grows up - living and breathing football. His family conversations are mostly about football - they are true culés - they don't know to be any different.

Xavi grows up, as does every little boy in the area, dreaming only of playing football. There is never a thought of any other choice. His biggest blessing - the club he revers more than anything right at his doorstep; it is also his biggest challenge - how to get be so good that he can get into La Masia.

It doesn't turn out to be so difficult after  all. He is born with such talent, and the hard work that he puts in, ensures that he enters the Academy in 1991, at the age of 11.

By this time, the late legendary Johan Cruyff has already graced Camp Nou twice - once as player and the other as manager. He has established the concept of "Total Football", where every player in the team moves around the field not adhering to rigid positions, that has been seen in trading football playing till now. He is also instrumental in establishing the La Masia, the Barcelona Youth Academy, where Xavi learns to perfect his style of play.

He makes his debut for the 'A' team in 1998, scoring his first goal in August of the same year. However, it is not for his goal making abilities that he makes his mark.

His greatest achievement is in orchestrating the game on the field like a music conductor. The way he creates opportunities for players like Henry, Messi, Villa, Fabregas. In his own words, "I look for spaces. All day. I'm always looking. All day, all day. Here? No. There? People who haven't played don't know how hard that is. Space, space, space.....I see the space and pass. That's what I do."

And what a dancer he is with the ball literally glued to his feet. The tiki-taka, the entire philosophy of that style of play... he owns it. 

But the Barcelona philosophy of humility also keeps him grounded. He is one of the few players who has never received a red card in his entire career. He's down to earth beyond imagination, letting his talent on the ground do the talking. 

He is also the most respected player, not only in the FCB dressing room but also in the Spanish national team. Along with his long time friend Iker Casillas, the Real Madrid captain, bitter Barcelona rivals traditionally, he maintains equilibrium in a team that has strong nationalistic tendencies. Both Casillas and Xavi are honoured with the "Prince of the Asturias" award by the king of Spain himself.

He is also the player to win the most trophies...28 and counting... than other player. Yet he is first to heap praise on other players; one of the midfielders he admires most is Paul Scholes; coming from Xavi it is high praise indeed.

To his legions of fans however it is of absolute disbelief that he has never won the Ballon d'Or despite being nominated 3 times. However for Xavi the fact that he got to live that little boy's dream is his greatest achievement.

In the words of Pep Guardiola, "Xavi is a player who has the Barcelona DNA, someone who has the taste for good football, someone who is humble and someone who has loyalty to this club. From the first moment I saw him play, I knew he would become the brain behind Barcelona for years to come."

Words cannot really capture the talent behind the man; they seem superfluous in the face of such greatness.

Ballon d'Or winner or not, Xavi is undoubtedly a legend in his way....a role model revered by the players he has left behind in Barcelona, and for an entire generation of aspirants in La Masia and other countries across the globe.

An homage to the Messi(ah)

"I don't need the best hairstyle or the best body. Just give me a ball at my feet and I'll show you what I can do".

- Lionel Messi

The man held his son's hand tightly, trying not to let his anxiety show. They had travelled a long way, armed with only his intense conviction in his son's ability. The promised land lay ahead, either their fortunes would be made or their hopes dashed cruelly to the ground. Either way, the man thought, as they walked out of the airport, they would have given it their best shot. Only time would tell if his gamble would pay off.

Thirteen year-old Lio was taking in the sights of the new city, filing every new thing in his memory, so that he could tell his mother, his brothers and sister when he returned to his hometown. Of course they would return, and soon. Why would they want to live in a big city, where people seemed to be in a great hurry to get somewhere, as if they'd lost their way... like the ants in his backyard.

The next morning they arrived at the football stadium, where a group of young boys where already in the middle of a game. Charly Rexach, a friendly man who had met them in Rosario, their hometown, gestured to Lio to join the game. The moment he let go of his father's hand and stepped onto the grass, all his apprehensions faded. He confidently tackled the ball passed to him, and with an agility and speed in one so young, he criss crossed the field, leaving his tacklers behind, scoring with ease. This was to become a common sight in a few years.

Rexach looked at the other men with him, and introduced the lone figure who had been watching his son's magic on the field, " This is Jorge Messi, and that little magician on the field is his son, Lio".

Had it not been for his growth deficiency problem, would the world have known about Lionel Andres Messi, 6-time Ballon d'Or winner? Would he have stayed on in Rosario, playing for his beloved team Newell's Old Boys? Would there have been millions of frenzied fans across the world passionately arguing about the beauty of his left foot and Cristiano Ronaldo's right? Would FC Barcelona be the club it is today...feared, fearless, envied, untouchable by even the best teams in the other football leagues?

Maybe, maybe not. His beginnings in Barcelona seem like a fairy tale... the third son of Argentine factory workers impressing the mighty FCB to sponsor his treatment for growth hormone deficiency. But it is a decision that landed FCB the best player in the world, who has won plenty of silverware for them, who owes the club his utmost loyalty.

It is true that FC Barcelona has been a force to reckon with even before the arrival of Messi into La Masia, the famed school that has churned out gems like Pep Guardiola. Luis Enrique, Xavi Hérnandez, Andres Iniesta, to name a few.

Then what is it that has these two intertwined.. their glories on the rise since  2006. The club has long boasted world class players in their ranks. But with the coming of age of Messi, FCB has become seemingly invincible. Is it due to the ease with which they win their matches or is it the complete cohesion with which they play, giving the impression of being one mind one unit.

And that one mind surely is Messi's. He commands the field like a Colossus, directing the passes, gauging the situation and taking advantage of the opportunities presented, giving life to the coach's strategy. It would be difficult to envisage Barca without Lio, the two having been synonymous for so long.

The heights of success to which Messi has taken Barca sounds almost too good to be true...seven La Liga titles (and in the running for an eighth), four UEFA Champions League titles, three Copa del Rey titles. With him FC Barcelona has become the only club to win the treble twice.

But what makes him truly unique, what resonates with his die-hard fans is his child-like delight in the club's victories, his ashen-faced countenance at unbelievable losses, his speed, his sharp reading of the situation inside the goal box, his inclusion of every Barca team member, his selflessness which prompts him to assist others with goal opportunities, the quiet man happy to let his on-ground activities speak to him.

Detractors are many though...and in my personal opinion they are wasting their breath...with no dearth of topics highlighting Messi's failures or shortcomings. The top two debates are a complete waste of time: a) Who is better - Messi or Ronaldo? and b) How can Messi be the best ever if he's not done for country what he's achieved for club?

The first, is without doubt, completely insulting and totally unfair to these two phenomenal players. Both have different styles of play, different roles in their teams, but the rivalry between their fans seems to have caught on at some level in the players' own psyches, each trying to one-up the other, each pushing the other to further heights of brilliance. Instead of arguing, let's just sit slack-jawed in front of our TV sets, as these two magicians mesmerize us on a weekly basis.

The second, seems on the face of it, to be a valid point raised by football pundits.  However, the onus on winning the Cup should not rest on Messi alone but also on the other players like Sergio "Kun" Agüero, Angel diMaria, Higuaín, Otamendi, Rojo, Lavezzi, DiMichelis, Mascherano, Zabaletta, Dyabla, Pastore...are they not contributing mightily to their respective clubs? Yes they are. Are they playing at the same level for country? No they are not.

So why is Messi's name offered as bait? Why is he alone labelled anti-national? The coaching staff and entire team have to sit and work out ways to stem this unfortunate situation

People who know Messi have vouched for the fact that the lack of a World Cup title rankles in his mind..in 2014 they reached the finals only to have their hopes dashed by a lone Mario Götze goal. And he has said that he would willingly give up his titles for that one elusive cup.

What a blessed lot we football fans are...to live in an era studded with such  players, whose love for the game comes through every time they are on the ground, whether playing for club or country.

Why is it then not enough to avoid such negativity from the beautiful game...to take a leaf out of Messi's book and exult with that unadulterated joy that radiates on his face, commiserate with the runners-up and come back the next week with renewed optimism?  (After all, we Arsenal fans do this week in and week out, don't we?)

The 13 year-old boy has surely come a long long away, amassing accolades, wealth and a fan following that would make anyone envious. Did he know when he left his beloved Rosario and his family that one day the world would know him simply as Messi? All he wanted and still wants is to play football. And what a legacy it is...impossible to emulate certainly in this lifetime. He's a gift that keeps on giving to this world.

The Messi(ah) of football, the most famous no. 10 in the world, the creator of wondrous passes, the gifter of mouthwatering goals....has many years and much more football left in him. As if to reiterate his love for his homeland he has hinted many times that he'd like to retire in Argentina...millions of fans are already praying he does so with both the Copa and FIFA titles on his shelf.

Tennis: A dedication from a lifelong fan

“Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility.”
- Billie Jean King

My first memory of watching a tennis match was Björn Borg playing Ilie Nastase. I saw the match on a black and white TV, complete with grains; the match did not make sense to me. Two tall men hitting a little ball across a net, crowds cheering wildly sometimes politely, my father sitting at the edge of his seat. And I couldn’t even pronounce the names, let alone spell them.

Then maybe a couple of years later when I could read, the names John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors came into play (pun not intended). Although the game still didn’t make sense, I did manage to develop a crush on McEnroe, the brat of the tennis world. I would support his ravings, his rantings, his verbal abuse of the umpires, the smashing of rackets.
But the game, rather its existence was firmly seared on my conscious mind.

Those were the days when tennis was ruled by Borg, McEnroe, Ashe, and Connors ably challenged by Vitas Gerulaitis, Guillermo Vilas, John Lloyd, and Peter Fleming. Borg was the “ice man” from Sweden, the cool unflappable gentleman, the classicist, his style sending fans into raptures. The contrast offered by McEnroe was extreme; he was rash, loudmouthed, unpredictable, irreverent, and yet somehow cool.
McEnroe finally took over the No. 1 spot from Borg, though he had a worthy opponent in the indefatigable Jimmy Connors, yet another unpredictable, loudmouthed player. And yet they instilled the love for the game in the hearts of fans everywhere. Serve and volley was the way to play the game – nearly every player in the top 10 were proponents of this kind of play with their special skills added in.

And although not all matches or tournaments were telecast in India, there were still enough to whet the appetite.

The 80s saw the arrival of the Swedes into the world of tennis – Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander, Anders Järryd, Joakim Nyström - to name a few. It’s interesting to see how in every decade there have been extraordinarily good players from a single country. For example, if the 70s were dominated by the Americans, the 80s definitely belonged to the Swedes. There were also very good players like Kevin Curren, Pat Cash, our very own Ramesh Krishnan, lest you think that tennis was played only by a few people!

But of all the Swedish players who made their debut at the world stage, Stefan Edberg remains, after Borg, the most respected and beloved. Graceful, cool as ice, stylish, he was a worthy successor to the great man from Stockholm.

He took over from John McEnroe, but this perfect scenario was shaken by Ivan Lendl, one of the greatest Czech players ever. Lendl was pure hard work, his grouchy demeanour, however, not winning him too many women fans. Between Edberg, Lendl and Wilander, one could be guaranteed a real entertainer of a match.

And then on July 7, 1984 everything changed and that too at the most classical Centre Courts in the Slams – Wimbledon. An unseeded player Boris Becker became the first German and the youngest player to win at Wimbledon. He brought with him a giant serve, earning him the nickname “Boom Boom Becker”. My second crush…I admit I still have a soft spot for the guy.

Ivan Lendl did offer stiff competition, as did Goran Ivanisevic, and Frenchmen Henri Leconte and Yannick Noah, but for a time it was the Boris Becker Show, till the arrival upon the scene of a completely unassuming man, Pete Sampras.

Sampras, one of the greatest players of this era, had the most unlikely persona needed for a champion. He wasn’t the glamorous type, not flashy, no chocolate good looks, but he was pure god-gifted talent. His laidback approach was as misleading to his opponents as to the hordes of tennis lovers across the globe. He also led a fresh stock of American blood into the tennis world – Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Micahel Chang. Among them they dominated the game till the 2000s.

I must admit, here, to liking Agassi more than Sampras. Agassi was the guy with the heart of a lion, talent infused with hard work. It wasn’t hard to feel sorry for Agassi who gave his all to his matches, as Sampras took every title he possibly could time and again with seemingly little effort. (No crush there though, and I can feel a few people wanting to ask the question: are you a lover of the game or do you watch it for the guys? Well...duh...both...why can’t it be both? After all the guys do watch the ladies play, and it’s not just for the game…we all know that! Double standards, as always.)

I still have a huge respect for Sampras – 14 Grand Slam titles - whose achievements paved the way for the next champion, and a fan of the great Sampras himself.

I talk about none other than the legend himself - Roger Federer; in my view the greatest tennis player yet. I know a lot of objections will be raised, but frankly no one can argue away his style, his grace, his unflappable nature, his forehand, his backhand, his humility…you get my drift. In short (sorry to disappoint you guys) my feelings for Federer border on reverence. Pukish yet, anyone?

This is yet another player who makes it look so easy, so simple, you wonder why you aren’t out there hitting balls across the net. But then that’s what makes champions – the ability to not fold under pressure, the level-headedness needed at crucial turning points, and of course the ability to hit winners even on an off-day.

In the present era, we tennis fans are blessed to witness not only Federer, but Rafael Nadal (another lion-hearted player and Federer’s fiercest rival), Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. And what matches they have given us….surely a just reward for supporting and adoring them?
In all my musings above, one might ask the question, and justly so, if tennis is just a man’s sport. I mean, I haven’t mentioned a single female player till now, have I?

The answer is of course, no, tennis is not just a man’s sport. We have had the pleasure of watching many lovely (and not so lovely) ladies over the years…champions, great fighters, delicate-seeming yet with a serve that makes you wonder where that strength came from.

The legendary Billie Jean King (the only woman with an arena named after her), Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini (which guy hasn’t had a crush on her?), Maria Sharapova, Anna Kournikova (the only tennis player known for purely looks and oomph), the extraordinary Williams sisters (Serena and Venus), and last but definitely not the least our very own Sania Mirza, who has shown all her detractors that you cannot break the spirit with inane objections like religion, and length of dress (could anything be more ridiculous).

And I haven’t even mentioned the Indian contingent (the Amritraj brothers, Ramesh Krishnan, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi), who in various decades, have made the Indian flag soar with pride, and Indian hearts swell with patriotic spirit.

But it is not because they haven’t been great, but it’s just that the sport has been dominated by players from the Western world. We can only hope that kids from India take Sania as their role model; that sports in India will someday be free of political interferences; that Indian parents will understand that sports as a career is an option too.

We are a country of more than a billion people…we are a sports loving nation, we have had great role models in almost every sport, and yet when it comes to encouraging our child to pick up a bat, a racket or kick a ball, we are scared that he or she might not concentrate on studies, and become successful.

I can only thank god (and I hope some of you will agree with me) that Borg, Becker, Sampras, Federer et al were supported by their parents, otherwise this article would not have been written. Jokes apart, I bow my head in respect to the many greats who have entertained us on the tennis courts over the years, both champions and runners-up. To play in front of millions, to hold your head up high in defeat, to dissolve in tears when holding the trophy…there are life lessons here…and as a fan of the sport I look forward to many more matches and players.